Saudia Group, which owns national carrier Saudia and low-cost airline Flyadeal, is moving ahead with plans for a substantial aircraft order, with deliveries due to begin in 2031. The purchase still needs approval from the group’s board before it can go to manufacturers.
Sanjiv Kapoor, executive vice president of strategy at Saudia Group and acting chief executive of Flyadeal, said the group had finished working out how many aircraft it needs over the long term, both to grow and to retire older jets. He did not give a number. “The RFP process will start once we have board approval,” Kapoor said, referring to the request-for-proposal tender that would follow. The order would cover both of the group’s airlines. Some of the new aircraft will add capacity, while others will replace ageing planes.
The group is targeting deliveries between 2031 and 2040, meaning the first jets would arrive about five years from now and the last nearly 14 years away. Kapoor said it had not yet decided whether to place the whole order at once or in tranches. In February, Bloomberg News reported that Saudia was in early talks with Boeing and Airbus about at least 150 narrowbody and widebody jets, which would be the largest purchase in the carrier’s history. The group currently flies 196 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 149 at Saudia and 47 at Flyadeal.
Saudia has been the kingdom’s flag carrier since it was founded in 1945, and much of its business depends on religious pilgrimage traffic. In 2023 Saudi Arabia launched a second national airline, Riyadh Air, which is based in the capital and aims more squarely at business travellers. Kapoor welcomed the rivalry, saying that two airlines pushing each other to improve was good for the market and would leave the country with two world-class carriers.
The timing reflects pressure across the industry. Supply chain problems have slowed aircraft deliveries, and airlines are trying to secure their long-term fleet needs years in advance. India’s newest carrier, Akasa Air, has started talks to order more than 200 Boeing 737 Max jets for delivery after 2032. Akasa’s plans show how far ahead carriers are now booking. For Saudia Group, the next milestone is the board vote, after which Boeing and Airbus would be invited to bid for what could become the group’s biggest single order.
